Journal Article

THE RETRIEVABILITY OF L2 ENGLISH MULTIWORD ITEMS IN A CONTEXT OF STRONGLY FORM-FOCUSED EXPOSURE

Eyckmans, June, Lindstromberg, Seth

2021

Overview

Although retrieval of lexical forms is a prerequisite for language production, research of L2 vocabulary learning has focused much more on meanings and form-meaning mappings than on development of detailed, accessible mental representations of forms. This is particularly true with respect to multi-word items (MWIs). We report an experimental study involving a variety of intra-lexical, usage-based, and interlingual co-determinants of L2 vocabulary learnability pertaining to MWIs. Each learner (N = 60) encountered a randomly allocated set of 26 two-word MWIs (Nsets = 4) semi-randomly drawn from a larger pool of MWIs. Learners were asked to remember either the 13 MWIs showing the form variable assonance (e.g., change shape ) or the 13 nonassonant control MWIs (e.g., sound good ). Posttests of form recall revealed a large, durable effect of the focusing task in combination with forewarning of testing. Except when MWI concreteness (a semantic variable) was high, assonance had a positive effect on retrievability in recall tests given after delays of 15 minutes and one week. There was a consistent effect of the semi-semantic variable Mutual Information. Even in the context of a strong focus on forms, form variables are not the only variables that matter.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: Assonance / Comparative Analysis / English / English (Second Language) / English as a second language learning / Figurative Language / Grammar / Language Processing / Language Tests / Language Usage / Learnability / Lexical access / Meaning / Memory / Mental representation / Mnemonics / North American English / Nouns / Phonemes / Phonemics / Phonology / Pretests Posttests / Recall (Psychology) / Repetition / Retrieval / Rhyme / Second Language Instruction / Second Language Learning / Second language vocabulary learning / Semantics / Syllables / Teaching Methods / Undergraduate Students / Variables / Vocabulary / Vocabulary Development / Vowels